Imagine

I was watching TV today, still overcome by the tragedy at Virginia Tech, when I noticed that there had been bombings in Iraq today. Almost 200 people were killed today there. Iraq is a nation of 26 million people. As a percentage of the population, if that were to happen in the United States, it would be equivalent (population wise), to 2,315 people dying.

Since the beginning of this year, a minimum 6213 people (non-U.S.) have died in Iraq. Two million people have fled the country for other lands since the start of the war. Imagine if 71,500 (the equivalent) people had died in the United States this year and 22 million people had sought refuge in Canada or Mexico. Heck, imagine if 6213 people in the U.S. had died because of madmen like the one at VT, shooting and blowing up random people.

What happened at Virginia Tech was horrible, gruesome beyond description. I have friends who work there, and it is truly an unspeakable tragedy. We are right to consider and to justly look for answers, for healing, for prevention of such madness in our society.

Yet the question must be asked: How do you help a society where hundreds and hundreds of people are willing to over and over again blow themselves up to kill innocents??? Why do we expect that adding more guns will stop those who have no thought for their own death and the death of others?

How can we expect to end that kind of insanity with force?

I know of only one person who can end that kind of hate.

He was hung on a cross.

He didn't carry a gun.

-James